Turning Canada’s Open Banking mandate into momentum
In this episode, Saba Shariff, senior vice president, chief strategy, product and innovation officer at Symcor, elaborates on some of the key points she made during her Opening Keynote at Open Banking Expo Canada on March 5, 2026. She explains what momentum looks like in practice and the Consumer-Driven Banking experiences that will change consumer behaviours positively. She also discusses the need to build trust into the system from the start, and points to some of the lessons learned from the UK, Brazil and Australia. Saba also considers the impact on Canada’s small businesses as Open Banking use cases are rolled out.
Saba Shariff
Saba Shariff
Senior Vice President, Chief Strategy, Product & Innovation Officer SymcorSaba Shariff oversees teams responsible for designing and launching innovative products that address industry-wide challenges, along with a mandate for charting Symcor’s corporate strategy towards continued growth.
Named as one of Canada’s top 50 women in fintech, Saba is a frequent public speaker who shares insights on topics such as Open Banking, innovation, and women in technology.
Saba is a mentor with Women in Open Banking, an honorary chair of the Princess Margaret’s Weekend to Conquer Cancer event, and a board member for Women in Communications and Technology (WCT).
Ellie Duncan
Ellie Duncan
Head of Content Open Banking ExpoFormer Financial Times Group journalist Ellie Duncan has a decade of experience across financial services. While arguably best-known for her asset management work, she has also covered open banking, credit, private equity and entrepreneurship.
